Fighting in Somali capital leaves at least 20 dead

I recently read an article from CNN called Fighting in Somali capital leaves at least 20 dead. This article talks about how the Somali forces have been fighting against al-Shabaab, an al Qaeda proxy in order to implement a more strict Islamic law. According to the article, "The fighting has displaced an estimated 1.4 million Somalis within the country, and more than 580,000 live as refugees in neighboring countries." This means that an already overcrowded country has become even more overcrowded, forcing people to live in unsafe conditions such as on the streets under plastic sheets and in temporary dwellings. These terrible conditions are forcing many of the women and children to beg for food. The article also informs the reader that Somalia has not had a stable government since 1991 and this fighting is not helping the situation.

I chose to discuss this article because for my most recent presentation I did for the class I talked about the country of Somalia and the different languages they speak. In reading about Somalia for my presentation, I found out that they do not live in the best environment and are facing a lot of poverty. After reading this article, I found further information on what the situation in Somalia is like.

It is so heartbreaking to me when I think about the country, already facing a lot of poverty, being confronted with even more of it. The living conditions for many people are horrible and it is so sad to think that so many of these people have to beg for food in order to survive. The article also tells the reader that "About 43 percent of the Somali population lives below the extreme poverty line and one in seven Somali children die before the age of 5." This is not even including the current situation with the fighting so the numbers have undoubtedly increased.

Photo: Somali soldier, CNN.